Best posts made by Ember the Basenji

I have never had a puppy basenji as mine was a year and a half by the time we got her. The one thing I can tell you from my experience is that if I tried to pass her to someone who is not in her "pack" she would have done exactly the same thing. An acquaintance or a neighbour would not make the cut. In my case, only family and my office staff (which she sees everyday) would be trusted and allowed to treat her in a familiar way. Any one else would have to wait for her to choose to allow them into her circle. That includes a vet who she would hate for trying to put a cone on her head. She is a gentle sweet girl but she has very clear boundaries about who she lets near her and who she will allow to restrict her.

Hi, our basenji was a year and a half old when we got her and she had been bounced around to 3 different homes before she came to ours. She was very angry when she left to come with us and she growled any time we remotely did anything she didn't like. I remembered thinking "when is she going to finally accept us as her family?" Well it took about 9 months for that to happen. Now she very rarely growls and it's usually if she feels threatened or just wants to give you a firm no (like at bath time and now that growl can be ignored without consequence). All I can say is hang in there. They love to be loved and in my case, she finally came around.

If the two dogs were being taunted or teased by a child it is easy to see how this could have escalated to a fight very quickly. It will of course be important to see how the two dogs react to each other going forward but just as important as their reactions to each other, is your reaction to the two of them being together. Naturally both you and your husband are upset and likely traumatized by what happened. Both dogs will feed off your tension when you are all together again and this will make things even harder for both you and them. It's easy to forget there were two in the fight when one is badly injured. If you or your husband are going to be stressed everytime the two dogs are together, then you have a bigger problem so I hope you can find a way to forgive Shenzi and realize that situations like these aren't always clear or one sided. I wish all 4 of you the best of luck with this and I hope you can all heal from this incident and move forward together.

My vet did something that I thought was going to be a disaster but turned out to be brilliant. He had his assistant call in the office dog which was a Boston terrier named Newton. I thought Ember was going to tear Newton to shreds because her anxiety was over the top, instead, they sniffed each other and Ember calmed to a reasonable level where I could control her. I think all dogs fear the vet and they can smell the fear of all the animals that were there ahead of them. On top of that, she can sense my stress when she goes all crazy eyed basenji on me. Seeing Newton, who was calm and unafraid seemed to change her perspective. I understand not all vets will have their own dog for these situations; however, it did make me realize how high my anxiety level was as well. I now make a point of remaining relaxed and keeping her leash as slack as I can so that I don't add to her anxiety.

It's a bit of a hike from T.O. but Sanda Allen from Africanadian Basenji's in Petawawa is amazing and her basenji's are the best ....ok I am biased! :).

I am also the one who feeds my girl, drives with her to work, takes her for walks etc so she is around me all day everyday. When she sees my mom, she wags her tail, if my mother takes too long to answer the door, she swats at it and cries. When she sees my son, she wags her tail and chortles and screams at him like she hasn't seen him in years. When she sees the controller at my office, she swats at him and makes a plethora of weird noises until he gives her a treat. I think it's kind of like being a mom; your taken for granted because you are alway there but when they want someone to cuddle with, it's you they go to. I wouldn't take it as a sign that he prefers your husband. Your basenji is just not used to seeing him all the time.

My Basenji has caught multiple rabbits and squirrels while on a leash as well. I went to using a shorter leash. At the cottage I have her trained to stay on the property but I do put a bell on her collar. The bell is partly to let me know when she is chasing something so I can ensure she doesn't leave but it's also to let the squirrels know where she is. They tease her relentlessly so if she gets one; it's dead!

The breeder we got our amazing basenji from is in Petawawa, Ont. They are Africanadian Basenjis. They would definitely be worth contacting. Good Luck!!

The best coat I have found for her so far is one made by Chili Dog called the Great White North. Only when the temp drops down below -20 degrees Celsius do I add a sweater underneath. The coat fits snuggly the full length of her neck and chest all the way down her back so I find she is warmer with it on. The coat and muttluk boots keep her fairly comfortable.

The first thought that popped into my head is to make her happy that your leaving. Find something that is a high value treat for her that she really likes but only give it to her once you get home and once she is quiet. Praise her for being quiet and for being a good girl for being alone. Start with 10 min and then make it longer etc. If she associates you coming home as something good, she may feel better about watching you leave. I would also have on music she likes so she isn't feeling completely alone. My last piece of advice is a sweater. My dog hates putting one on, but as soon as she is wearing it she's fine and I find the warmth really calms her. I would put it on in the morning and see if she is a bit more calm and relaxed during the day. Good luck!

My basenji did that when we first adopted her as well. It took a while but it will pass. According to the breeder it is a stress reaction. We were her 3 or 4th house and she was initially very upset at the change. Once she settled in it stopped happening.